Well, he is hard to resist

Welcome back to India. Going by your previous experience, what do you have to say about our sense of music?
India has one of the most exciting dance scenes in the world right now. For me, this country will be one of the biggest clubbing destinations in the near future; there is such a big buzz about everything you guys are doing. My last visit to the country was insane — the fans have such overwhelming passion for this music — it’s amazing to witness. I loved the time I spent here and have been eager to return ever since.

Tell us more about the I Am Hardwell Tour and the documentary?
The idea behind the tour was to create something unique, a place that would allow me to showcase myself as an artiste and bring in different elements to give the fans a truly memorable event. I Am Hardwell offers me the opportunity to bring my vision to the dancefloor and create a party that I can share with fans.

The documentary was shot by my good friend Robin Piree and is about me as Hardwell and as Robbert. It’s a behind- the-scenes view of my life. You get to see the highlights of my career, the ups, the downs and everything else. You get full backstage access to my life and my world.

From No 24 to No 6 in the DJ Mag Top 100 poll — does seeing your name along with names like Armin, Avicii and Tiësto put a lot of pressure on you?
Not really pressure, but I certainly put upon myself a level of standard that means my music has to be 100% right before it is ever released. I want to give fans the best of my music — both as a producer and a DJ. Being voted number 6 in the world was such an honour.

What’s more thrilling — selling out your albums and being on top of the charts on Billboard and Beatport or selling out housefull shows?
Without a doubt it’s seeing a full house. No amount of awards or accolades will ever replace the fun you can have on the dance floor with the fans. Those guys are what make this all worthwhile.

What do you prefer — small clubs or big open grounds?
I love playing at festivals because the buzz and energy is so insane and you can really take it to another level. But then, I am also a big fan of club shows and find them as the best places to connect with the audience and test new music. It’s hard to really pick one over the other because they are so different but equally great fun.

It’s now a trend that artistes add surprise elements to their sets to switch the mood. If you had to surprise your audience, what would you play?
If I told you it wouldn’t be a surprise! I like to keep the energy high during my sets so it would have to be something big and something really cool for the dancefloor.

Who are your all-time favourite artistes and producers and what’s the kind of music you really enjoy?
I am a big fan of Tiësto’s work as he has been such an influence on me and my career. Justin Timberlake and Prodigy are also on my list of favourite producers. When it comes to music, I like everything — from hip hop to all styles of dance music; and seek out to discover new producers and remixers who are pushing these genres forward with their style and creative ideas.

How would you describe the evolution of Hardwell — from a boy who started off at the age of 12 to a DJ ranked at number 6?
When I was 12 I watched a documentary called The DJs on Dutch MTV and it featured Tiësto and Ferry Corsten. That moment I knew that I wanted to be a DJ/ producer. So I started to produce music when I was 12 and signed my first record deal at 14. I progressively fell into deejaying because it was a natural step to making music, and since then I have spent the last 10 years working at my craft and building up my knowledge and abilities as a DJ and producer in order to improve myself as an artiste and push music forward.

You are now a mentor yourself. Do you have any protégés under your wing?
I don’t really consider myself as a mentor, sharing my knowledge and experience with guys like Dyro and Dannic is because I want to help them flourish as artistes because both of them have incredible talent as DJs and producers. Well, I can’t really say that they are under my wing because they’re both doing amazingly well. My label is a home for my music but it also allows me to support the music from other artistes. When I launched Revealed Recordings, I knew I wanted an imprint which would enable me to give back to other artistes. The label is about discovering new music and future talent.

Since you started so early in your career, where do you see yourself heading in the next few years. Do you think you may get bored of playing what you are playing now?
I’ll never get bored of music because this is my passion in life. Musically, my sound is always evolving, which keeps it fresh and forward thinking.

If not DJ Hardwell, what do you think Robbert would be doing?
This is all I have ever wanted to do, so it is a little difficult to answer that. My dream and goal in life was to make music and perform to an audience.

Sunburn Arena is hosting DJ Hardwell at Supernova, Yelahanka, 5pm onwards, on September 21. For tickets log on to www.bookmyshow.com